A tangent on the question is what's the worst car you had that you loved?
I had an early Isuzu Rodeo with the Chevy V6 in it. I think the heads were warped by design. That thing was like the Batmobile with a massive cloud of smoke every time you started it.... then going up hills it would lose speed like an overloaded semi... but it looked cool ...
66 Monaco wagon. 383. Burned oil so bad it took a quart to go to work at the gas station which I used waste oil in it. Started getting serious with it and started making it a 2 door. Had that puppy for a few years. Another $50 car.